Zion Tupuola-Fetui Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Ric Tapia/Getty Images)

School: Washington

Class: Redshirt Senior

Position: EDGE

HT: 6’3

WT: 244 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #98

Background: Originally a 3-star edge outside linebacker recruit, Zion Tupuola-Fetui hails from Pearl City, Hawaii. Zion attended Pearl City High School and built a name for himself as a top-5 player in the state of Hawaii. At Pearl City, Tupuola-Fetui played both defensive line and tight end. He is a dynamic athlete that shows his ability on both sides of the field. The high school football scene in the state of Hawaii is somewhat limited but he helped his school to a winning record during his time there. Zion committed to play college football for Washington over Vanderbilt and Cal.

College: As a redshirt freshman in 2019, Tupuola-Fetui played in 12 of the Huskies’ 13 games. His presence was felt in a more limited capacity, but he was still a contributor along the line for the Huskies. 2020 was his breakout campaign, Tupuola-Fetui was named First Team All-PAC 12 and Second Team All-America. His 2021 season was cut short due to injury and he was more of a rotational piece in 2022. Zion has shown all the ability in the world during his time at Washington, he just needs to develop a bit more consistency in his game.

Strengths: Zion Tupuola-Fetui is an edge rusher with tremendous burst off the line of scrimmage. His athleticism and explosiveness is shown off the edge when in pursuit of the quarterback. He wreaks havoc on a play when the pocket collapses. A ball carrier is never free from Zion as he is usually just as fast as everyone on the field. He is a physical runner who has sharp movements. He performs well with stunts and different blitz packages. Washington also occasionally dropped Tupuola-Fetui into coverage. He holds his own in coverage, but it is not where he is best utilized. Zion is extremely fast and has a high motor, playing through the whistle on every snap. A dialogue of his lack of athleticism has been created, but the tape does not show a significant lack of athleticism relative to his defensive end counterparts.

Weaknesses: Zion is a bit stiff in the hips and ankles, though. He does not have the desirable bend that you look for from a defensive end or outside linebacker. He can often get pushed behind the pocket due to his ability to change pad level or dip under the offensive tackle. Zion is a smaller defensive end and offensive tackles can take advantage of that if he does not get the bend needed. He will never win with strength so his bag of tricks has to be a large one, and right now it is not quite there.

Conclusion: Zion Tupuola-Fetui is a talented player who can provide a significant spark to a defensive line in a rotational role.

Scheme Fit: 4-3 Stunt Heavy

Ideal Role: Rotational OLB

Best Team Fits: CHI, PIT, ARI

Player Comparison: Melvin Ingram

Player Grade: 74.7